NETWORK GOVERNANCE AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

In 2015, the United Nations (U.N.) and member states created goals and benchmarks for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address decades of inequality, environmental degradation, and economic disparity. Further, as human populations are expanding around the globe, and especially in urban settings, the New Urban Agenda was created a year later acknowledging that urbanization is one of this century‘s most transformative trends. A primary concern is understanding what actions municipalities have taken that lead to more sustainable cities and communities, and how stakeholder engagement has aided in the process. One other facet is to understand how communities can incorporate the food, energy, and water resources in projects to reduce waste and tradeoffs, otherwise known as the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Nexus. We conducted a multi-stage systematic literature review and examined a case study of the City of Orlando, Florida, United States. Major findings were that widespread stakeholder engagement, dedicated funding, institutionalization of plans and actions, and public leadership support were critical in local sustainable development.